Boston, Mass., Dec 5, 2008 / 18:15 pm
The prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Cardinal Franc Rode, spoke on the origins of the crisis in religious life this week and encouraged authentic renewal by pointing to the continuity of tradition and the decisive contribution of Vatican II.
According to the L’Osservatore Romano, during an extensive speech given in Boston at a meeting of religious men and women, Cardinal Rode said that today there are some “who have chosen paths that have carried them away from communion with Christ in the Catholic Church, even though they have decided to physically ‘be’ in the Church.”
Others, however, “firmly believe in their vocations and seek out ways to reverse the current trend, in other words, to bring about true renewal,” he continued.
Noting that Vatican II has often been misinterpreted by some who have fall into a series of errors and distortions, the cardinal pointed out that “surely there was much to be corrected in religious life and much to be improved in the formation of religious. We should also admit that society posed challenges that many religious were not prepared for,” he said.